help me plan a visit to SF!

[silverwhisper]

i am planning a visit in SF in a few weeks. it'll be the first real vacation i've taken in some years and we'll be there for 6 days. part of it will be tied up with an overnight visit to sonoma, which of course will be neat.

sights:
we are reluctantly ruling out alcatraz since that's apparently most of a day in its own right. the farmers market however is definitely of interest though. we're gonna see about fitting in muir woods. not sure how feasible that'll really prove to be though. where else might i want to see?

eats:
there are already two restaurants at which we have reservations: slanted door & house of prime rib. much as i'd love to eat at the french laundry, there isn't anywhere near enough time for a reservation there, more's the pity. where else might i want to eat?

nifty/geeky stuff:
cartoon art museum, zoo, aquarium, CA academy of sciences, exploratorium...what else might i wanna check out? i wanted a great deal to put anchor steam brewery on this list--but i don't like any of their beer.

help me out litsters!

ed

 

[Saucyminx]

Hi Ed! I've never been but a dear friend of mine went and she said this is a must see.

Ghiarardelli Factory tour

Then again, we would both go anywhere and do just about anything for chocolate. I blame it on growing up in close proximity to Hershey, PA.

 

[silverwhisper]

oo, good suggestion! thx!

ed

 

[Loverskitten]

You must go to my favorite place, Musee Mechanique. It's an antique arcade right at Fisherman's Wharf. Plan to spend a couple hours and lots of quarters. Check youtube for some of the attractions, or just be surprised. Soooooo much fun!!!!!
http://www.museemechanique.org/

 

[Loverskitten]

Here's a cute video with the owner
http://youtu.be/owwJ9Y-Wbzw

My favorite game is a driving game where you steer this tin car on a big wheel hitting bumps.

 

[bailadora]

Here's a cute video with the owner
http://youtu.be/owwJ9Y-Wbzw

My favorite game is a driving game where you steer this tin car on a big wheel hitting bumps.

Ooo, I wonder if he has one of those Zoltar fortune telling machines, like in the movie, "Big"?

 

[Loverskitten]

You should also spend an afternoon shopping on Haight. Lots of interesting antique shops. "Loved To Death" is one of my favorites, a small shop filled with oddities, antiques, and curiosities. In between shops, there are plenty of hidden bars. "Zam Zam" is a must. It's like you've traveled back in time! (Do an image search for Zam Zam bar)
You're making me want to go to there.

 

[Loverskitten]

Ooo, I wonder if he has one of those Zoltar fortune telling machines, like in the movie, "Big"?

There were a few fortune teller machines.

 

[johneb87]

Check out my blog post from my trip there last spring.

http://johneb87.wordpress.com/2013/06/12/i-left-my-heart-in-san-franoma/

 

[unregistered]

 

[bailadora]

Love that machine!

I've never seen one in person, so.....

We have a Zoltar in a neat little shop near me! Come to my neck of the woods, Baila!!

After we encountered the Zoltar, I showed my girls the movie that night.

I'm thinking I need to take J up on her offer!

 

[ntp]

Dress warm. Musee Mechanique is pretty cool. But try for some non-tourist destinations. Walk down Valencia around 17th-20th in the mission or along Haight from fillmore to the park. Go to the top of Twin Peaks for the view. Dress warm. Is this exclusively a PG-rated visit? Good Vibrations is pretty cool, and there's Mr. S leather, and all sorts of other stuff. Go all the way out to ocean beach and hike in the woods north of the Cliff House and visit the old bath ruins. Jardiniere is nice if you're looking for another fancy restaurant.

 

[Bottomlover]

I lived there for a little while in 1970/71. My favorite place to go was the ocean around Point Lobos.

At that time, Haight-Ashbury was a slum infested with scruffy hypes.

I always liked Fisherman's Wharf and the night life in North Beach.

 

[QuantumJumping]

Segway

I did a segway tour of Golden Gate Park. You get a certificate if you finish the tour. The guide told me many people don't make it to the end. Guess I was used to the steep terrain because I snow skied. Just relax and go at a moderate speed.
Also, do a city tour. Parking sucks and hugely expensive, so let them drive you around, over to Saulsolito etc. lots of high end shopping, murals.
In the morning during the week, people drive into downtown to jog around the streets. When you see it you'll know what I mean.
I would spend another whole day at the zoo.

 

[Endless_Night]

Muir Woods

So, not to highjack your thread...but we're also headed to San Francisco shortly.

I would really like to spend a few nights out by Muir Woods. Someplace with character, romance, and views. There are several place listed online, but wading through reviews is a bit overwhelming.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Much appreciated!!!

 

[silverwhisper]

loverskitten quoth:
you must go to my favorite place, musee mechanique. it's an antique arcade right at fisherman's wharf. plan to spend a couple hours and lots of quarters. check youtube for some of the attractions, or just be surprised. soooooo much fun!!!!!
http://www.museemechanique.org/

i gotta say, reading about it didn't make it sound all that much fun to me. what is it you like so much about it?

loverskitten quoth:
you should also spend an afternoon shopping on haight. lots of interesting antique shops. "loved to death" is one of my favorites, a small shop filled with oddities, antiques, and curiosities. in between shops, there are plenty of hidden bars. "zam zam" is a must. it's like you've traveled back in time! (do an image search for zam zam bar)
you're making me want to go to there.

OK, those are interesting, thanks so much!

johneb87 quoth:
check out my blog post from my trip there last spring.

http://johneb87.wordpress.com/2013/06/12/i-left-my-heart-in-san-franoma/

what a great blog post, so thorough! i see the sub is WW2 era so that was neat. we will be going to sonoma as well. my wife visited viansa winery, great story about that place! much obliged, it was well-photographed & told!

[QUOTEJj[/b] quoth:
ed, other than this, i have nothing to contribute. i've never been that far west. hope you have a great trip![/QUOTE]
thanks j! this will be my second visit there--i was many years ago to help my brother drive a car back to NJ. fun trip: 3.5 days, lots of fun, fun spending that time with my brother & re-learning who he was vs the kid i shared a room with while growing up.

ntp quoth:
dress warm. musee mechanique is pretty cool. but try for some non-tourist destinations. walk down valencia around 17th-20th in the mission or along haight from fillmore to the park. go to the top of twin peaks for the view. dress warm. is this exclusively a PG-rated visit? good vibrations is pretty cool, and there's mr. s leather, and all sorts of other stuff. go all the way out to ocean beach and hike in the woods north of the cliff house and visit the old bath ruins. jardiniere is nice if you're looking for another fancy restaurant.

jardiniere looks tasty but probably outside our budget. smart question re: trip "rating"... we'll be staying with my brother & his gf, so the kinds of visits you'd expect of a litster are probably not going to happen unless we shake loose for a while. i've always wanted to visit good vibrations though...might be worthwhile just to see. my brother doesn't live far from haight-ashbury so that seems like a sensible visit. much obliged!

bottomlover quoth:
i lived there for a little while in 1970/71. my favorite place to go was the ocean around point lobos.

at that time, haight-ashbury was a slum infested with scruffy hypes.

i always liked fisherman's wharf and the night life in north beach.

many thanks! i don't think point lobos will fit due to time constraints, perhaps for a future visit. i know fisherman's wharf is pretty touristy and i think we're looking to avoid the touristy stuff, to be honest.

QJ quoth:
i did a segway tour of golden gate park. you get a certificate if you finish the tour. the guide told me many people don't make it to the end. guess i was used to the steep terrain because i snow skied. just relax and go at a moderate speed.

also, do a city tour. parking sucks and hugely expensive, so let them drive you around, over to sausalito etc. lots of high end shopping, murals. in the morning during the week, people drive into downtown to jog around the streets. when you see it you'll know what i mean.

i would spend another whole day at the zoo.

i don't think parks will fit in with our plans but i appreciate the input. not looking to do a lot of shopping but much obliged!

endless night quoth:
so, not to highjack your thread...but we're also headed to san francisco shortly.

i would really like to spend a few nights out by muir woods. someplace with character, romance, and views. there are several place listed online, but wading through reviews is a bit overwhelming.

does anyone have any suggestions? much appreciated!!!

OK folks, who can help out a fellow litster?

thanks a bunch everyone!

ed

 

[LadyVer]

Have fun! Sounds like you have some good ideas and received some good ones. I love SF, but it's been years since I've been there. I loved the Farmer's Market and Cliff House, along with GG park.

 

[johneb87]

what a great blog post, so thorough! i see the sub is WW2 era so that was neat. we will be going to sonoma as well. my wife visited viansa winery, great story about that place! much obliged, it was well-photographed & told!

Glad you enjoyed it. And like I said, if you are not staying within the city, take the BART in and DEFINITELY pick up a Visitor Day Pass to get around. Worth it when you can ride the cable cars all day to get where you need. Be sure to stand on the outside and hold on, that's the best!

And if you make it to Partake by KJ, do the Chef's Tasting flight.

 

[NippleMuncher]

I have NEVER understood the allure of San Francisco, it is a dirty, smelly, crowded, disgusting place. Now, aside from all that, a short distance north of the city is Muir Redwoods, one of several groves of giant redwoods in the state, well worth the effort to see. A short distance further (about an hour if memory serves) is Point Reyes Lighthouse. If it's the off season, you can drive nearly up to the lighthouse, if it's tourist season, then you have to park in a lower parking area and take a shuttle up to the lighthouse. It's really quite interesting, especially if the rangers are there doing maintenance, because they'll give you history and answer questions about the place.

 

[Que]

I haven't been since about 1973...I wasn't driving so my directions would be useless.

I don't recall getting out of the car. Would SF have been THAT dicey for a Country Squire Wagon full of kids in the 70's?

 

[Que]

I'm fuzzy on geography...no idea if Monterey Bay is proximate to either end of your range.

The aquarium is world renowned and the Bay itself is one of the best stories of environmental reclaimations I have heard of.

 

[Not His Toy]

You have to buy one of those crocks of sourdough starter...you can get them about anywhere there.

 

[silverwhisper]

all right, i'm back from vacation, got back friday night.

the trip was fucking fantastic. thank you everyone for your input, it was much appreciated. walking around in SF is tough, guess i'm used to cities where the terrain is flatter.

ladyver: we missed the farmers market due to our flight schedule (arrived saturday early afternoon) but at least made it to boccalone for some fun stuff. looking fwd to a nice picnic featuring some salumi & cheeses, accompanied by some wine from sonoma.

johneb87: we were staying in the city, so we didn't really make any use of BART but a good tip, thanks!

NM: i didn't find SF to be dirty or smelly--but my frame of reference for cities is manhattan, and as someone comfortable with the NYC subway system during the heat of summer, i can safely say no other city will rival it for smell or dirt-factors. we intended to hit muir woods, but the day we intended to go was way too popular and led to us vetoing the idea.

nothistoy: you know, my wife bakes & is highly organized, but even she balks at the idea of keeping sourdough starter alive beyond a few weeks.

we hit some terrific restaurants/establishments:

sonoma: el dorado hotel was very comfy & across the street, the girl & the fig was fantastic.

SF: slanted door was terrific: excellent food, super-efficient wait staff. and house of prime rib is the easiest dining ever: make 2 choices, have the best prime rib known to man.

we also visited the ledson winery, came away with 2 bottles.

 

[bailadora]

NM: i didn't find SF to be dirty or smelly--but my frame of reference for cities is manhattan, and as someone comfortable with the NYC subway system during the heat of summer, i can safely say no other city will rival it for smell or dirt-factors.

You ever been to New Orleans in July? Especially in the Qtr. When I was pregnant, I had to avoid Bourbon St altogether because the stench of the trash and leftover alcohol in streets was enough to make me vomit.

 

[Que]

Sounds like a great time.